Mountain Park, Oklahoma
Town in Oklahoma, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mountain Park is a town in Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 320 as of the 2020 United States census.[4]
Mountain Park, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
Welcome sign, 3-2025 | |
 Location of Mountain Park, Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: 34°41′56″N 98°57′08″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Kiowa |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2) |
| • Land | 0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,371 ft (418 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 320 |
| • Density | 424.7/sq mi (163.98/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 73559 |
| Area code | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-49600[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413020[2] |
History
The town of Mountain Park began as a trading post named Burford, near the Wichita Mountains in southern Oklahoma Territory. A post office was established at Burford in August 1901, just after the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Reservation opened for settlement by non-Indians. In February 1902, the town that had sprung up around the trading post and changed its name to Mountain Park. Fires destroyed most of the wood-frame buildings along Main Street in 1906 and 1908. The town rebuilt with all brick structures.[5]
According to Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the Oklahoma City and Western Railroad offered Mountain Park resident Sol Bracken six thousand dollars for a 160 acres (65 ha) tract on which to build a station. Bracken refused the offer as insufficient and demanded more money. Instead, company officials rerouted their railroad through the town of Snyder, two miles south of Mountain Park. As a result, 41 of the 47 businesses in Mountain Park promptly moved to Snyder.[5]
By statehood in 1907, Mountain Park had 381 residents. In 1910, it was named the county seat of the short-lived Swanson County. That county was abolished in the following year. The local economy was based on cotton and wheat production, as well as granite quarrying. The population rose to 459 by 1930. Census population peaked at 557 in 1980.[5]
On March 7, 2008, KSWO-TV reported that the former town clerk was fired for allegedly secretly embezzling $100,000 over a period of two years, leaving the town unable to pay its bills and forcing it to raise utility rates for residents.[6]
Geography
Mountain Park is located 28 miles (45 km) south of Hobart, 22 miles (35 km) east of Altus and 36 miles (58 km) west of Lawton.[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Mountain Park had a population of 320. The median age was 44.7 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 75.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.9 males age 18 and over.[8][9]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[10]
There were 130 households in Mountain Park, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.9% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[8]
There were 160 housing units, of which 18.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.2%.[8]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 256 | 80.0% |
| Black or African American | 2 | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 7 | 2.2% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 8 | 2.5% |
| Two or more races | 45 | 14.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 41 | 12.8% |
2000 census
The median income for a household in the town was $17,031, and the median income for a family was $19,375. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $9,584. About 29.4% of families and 36.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.6% of those under age 18 and 22.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Agriculture has supported the town's economy since its inception.